Department of Pediatrics, Fujian Medical University Union Hospital, Fuzhou, China.
Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Child Development and Disorders, Chongqing, China.
J Clin Ultrasound. 2023 May;51(4):674-679. doi: 10.1002/jcu.23411. Epub 2022 Nov 30.
There is a need today for favorable biomarkers to follow up on the disease progression and therapeutic response in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). This study evaluates whether quantitative muscle ultrasound (QMUS) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is more suitable for the assessment of DMD in China.
Thirty-six boys with DMD, who were treated with prednisone from baseline to month 12, were enrolled in this longitudinal, observational cohort study. Muscle thickness and echo intensity on QMUS and T1-weighted MRI grading were measured in the right rectus femoris.
Scores for muscle thickness and echo intensity in QMUS and T1-weighted MRI grading showed significant correlations with the clinical characteristics of muscle strength, timed testing, and quality of life (p < 0.05). Scores for muscle thickness and echo intensity on QMUS also showed good correlations with T1-weighted MRI grading (p < 0.05). However, 15 of 36 boys with DMD did not undergo MRI examinations for various reasons.
QMUS and MRI can be used as biomarkers for tracking DMD to some extent. Both have strengths and weaknesses and the specific needs and goals of the clinical or research project are what make one preferable to the other.
目前需要有利的生物标志物来监测杜氏肌营养不良症（DMD）患者的疾病进展和治疗反应。本研究评估定量肌肉超声（QMUS）或磁共振成像（MRI）是否更适合中国的 DMD 评估。
本纵向观察性队列研究纳入了 36 名从基线开始接受泼尼松治疗至 12 个月的 DMD 男孩。在右侧股直肌上测量 QMUS 的肌肉厚度和回声强度以及 T1 加权 MRI 分级。
QMUS 的肌肉厚度和回声强度评分以及 T1 加权 MRI 分级与肌肉力量、计时测试和生活质量的临床特征均具有显著相关性（p<0.05）。QMUS 的肌肉厚度和回声强度评分与 T1 加权 MRI 分级也具有良好的相关性（p<0.05）。然而，由于各种原因，15 名 DMD 男孩未进行 MRI 检查。
QMUS 和 MRI 可在一定程度上用作 DMD 的生物标志物。两者各有优缺点，临床或研究项目的具体需求和目标决定了哪种方法更可取。
